


Please Don't Growl At Me

by KittenSneeze



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-10 14:22:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11693493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittenSneeze/pseuds/KittenSneeze
Summary: Gwen has always suspected David was a bit off, but she never thought she would have to be attacked by some fucking diseased animal in the middle of the night to figure out his little secret. Every since then she's been noticing little changes about herself - like how her teeth are a bit more pointier than usual, and how her nails are sharp enough to snatch even the tightest of weaves. When it becomes apparent that something is seriously wrong, will David be the only one who can help her through it? (Werewolf AU)





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my first fan-fiction on this site. I know I am complete and utter garbage, but please comment and kudos if you liked it and let me know what you think!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen meets David and crushes on him immediately - SPOILER ALERT: she's gay for him (this chapter is super short cause it's just an introduction)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing the writing thing y'all, I hope this introduction is at least semi-enjoyable. The coming chapters will be much longer, I just wanted to make a cute drabble about Gwen's arrival.

 

Gwen was leaning against her seat and staring longingly outside the bus window, trying to keep her food down as the clunky vehicle bounced along the rocky path in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. She stifled a groan as one of the wheels dipped into a particularly low pot-hole, causing a nauseating churn of her stomach that only seemed to make her anxiety worse. “This is going to be an absolute fucking disaster.” Gwen thought to herself, fingers digging into the tattered leather of the timeworn bus-seat. Her apprehension was ruthless no matter how many precautions and measures she took to attempt to make herself at ease. In fact, even for this shitty job she made a despairing effort to reach out and talk with her employer so she wasn’t completely in the dark- but it provided absolute no aid in easing her concern, it only heightened it.

Usually when you make phone calls it should provide at least _some_ reassurance (you’re talking with the person beforehand so when you work for them it won’t be as awkward). This was not the case - her boss had a booming voice over the phone, and she had to hold the speaker away to prevent her eardrums from bursting. But that wasn’t even the worst part, it was the fact that this man seemed to love the sound of his own voice and continuously cut off Gwen when she attempted to reply to his rambling. When he did finally give her an opening to speak, he referred to her as _“Gertrude”._

That moment she realized that this job didn’t give a shit about who she was, what she used to do, and what she wanted to do - this was her entire life now. It shouldn’t have been a surprise though, she was already getting horrible vibes purely based on the escort that had picked her up to drive her to the camp. He was a man who looked like he could’ve been around to see the building of the Great Pyramids, equip with an outfit that screamed “serial killer starter pack”, which even included a hook hand. If that hadn’t been enough to fray her nerves, his attitude didn’t lighten the situation much at all. He had not uttered a single sentence besides “Get’n girlie” when he pulled up to the designated spot to pick her up, and even now he hadn’t bothered to look up from the road.

Now he was sitting in the driver’s seat, god knows how he was steering with one functional hand, and grumbling to himself about something that was completely inaudible from where Gwen had chosen to sit - which was as far away as physically possible. She slumped even further down in her seat, her eyes slipping shut as she tried to take her mind off the shitty situation she had gotten herself into. Before her mind could slip into her usual depressing thoughts, the bus came to a screeching halt that lurched the entire vehicle forward, flinging Gwen out of her seat with a yelp.

In a haze of distress, she put her arms out in front of her in a desperate attempt to catch herself, but instead butted against the back of the row of seats ahead of her, eliciting a groan of pain from the already troubled woman. She popped her head out from behind the seat once her head was less scrambled, snatched her backpack in frustration, and began stomping up the aisle. Gritting her teeth, Gwen started yelling before she could even see the ancient man. “Dude, what the fuck is with your driv-” she stopped mid-sentence, staring at the empty seat where the creepy old guy had been sitting two seconds ago.

 “Oh what kind of fucking paranormal activity bullshit is this…” Gwen muttered to herself, warily glancing around. The bus-driver had literally just been there, and there is no way he could have hopped off and ran away in such a short amount of time-especially not at his age. Gwen swallowed hard, hobbling backwards before completely turning around.  She rushed off the bus, internally praising the feeling of sturdy ground beneath her boots. Adjusting the strap of her backpack around her shoulder, she scanned the area and locked her eyes on the one thing in sight:  a grass clearing with two log buildings, a flag, and a group of tents all situated next to a lake. She begrudgingly began to make her way over to the open area, letting out a sigh of dread at just the look of the place.

Gwen was not an outdoorsy person - in fact, one might even say she despised even the smallest amount of sunshine hitting her - so in hindsight, maybe signing up for a  job that involved her running around all hot and sweaty while chasing around children wasn’t the greatest idea in terms of her mental health. But, a job was a job, and she didn’t have many options considering she was turned down for being “under-qualified” by every single employer that even batted an eye in her direction.

 _Crunch_  

Gwen paused, being sucked immediately out of her internal thoughts by the sound of heavy footsteps.

 _Crunch_  

She whipped her head around, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to pinpoint the source of the sound. Was it one of the other staff members approaching- or a wild animal lurking in the woods, preparing to pounce on her and sink its disgusting fangs into her jugular, leaving her to bleed out slowly and painfully on the patchy grass of Camp Campbell?

 ** _Crunch_**  

This was it… Gwen was going to die at the knees of her unhinged, narcissistic employer and his ear-piercingly loud voice. She braced herself for the sweet embrace of death.

 

“Howdy there! Are you my new co-counselor?” a cheery voice asked, sending Gwen shooting into the air in a frenzy of panic – her arms latched onto her backpack as she was beginning to swing it off in self-defense.  
  
“ **Motherfucker-**   _do not ever sneak up on me like that,_ ” She wheezed out, fingers clamped around the straps as she held her bag dangling at her side now that she wasn’t going to beat him shitless, her eyes drilling holes in the dirt.

“Oh- I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the male voice added in a squeaky tone, inching closer. “Well, you did. So,” Gwen adjusted her position to look up at the counselor who had approached her, and she felt like she was slapped across the face as soon as she made eye-contact. “S-So…” she trailed off, leaning back to really _look_ at him.

This dude was obviously not the man she had spoken with over the phone- his voice was far too sweet and although he was loud, he was anything but brash- plus it was too high pitched. The face he was making made Gwen’s heart sink, because she had no idea how a human being was able to emulate the look of a kicked puppy- but he was able to.

 Although he was a bit nerdy at first glance, with his darkly toned ginger hair that was gelled and spiked to perfection in a way that resembled a flame- his eyes were absolutely captivating. They held so much amiability despite not being any different from anyone else’s, with dark aquamarine shades that blended together to compliment the freckles sprinkled across the bridge of his nose.

His outfit was the standard Campbell uniform along with a few fashion choices that Gwen questioned internally but decided not to vocalize- which were his bright yellow bandana and brown leather vest that seemed to be way too short on his lanky form. Although his clothes were nothing to write home about, they suited him in a way that made Gwen’s breath catch in her throat. She refused to let herself develop crushes quickly (because it was always on the oddballs who turned out to be creepy weirdos) - but this man had a warm glow about him that made her feel fuzzy.

Clearing her throat awkwardly after she realized she had been staring, she quickly put on her best disinterested façade to mask her genuine interest in this perky young guy.  “Yes, I’m Gwen. I’ll be working here with you, I guess,” She explained lamely, shrugging her backpack straps across her shoulders once more.

Although her response was… less than thrilling, the eager ginger before her seemed to be holding back squeals of delight as he hooked elbows with her and began to drag the stunned girl off towards the cabins. She dug her heels into the dirt as he continued to carry her off, leaving her amazed at how such a skinny dude could have such a powerful grip. “I’m David, I’m the only other counselor here! I’ve been working here for quite a while, so I’ll show you the ropes,” He explained with a bit of bragging at the end, which took Gwen off-guard. She didn’t really think any sane person would believe that working in this dump was an honor, but according to the way David was acting, he held it above everything else.

Gwen was going to intervene and say something to him about how the fuck he was able to move so damn quickly while dragging behind her entire body weight, but she was unable to because he abruptly stopped running and let go of her. With a loud _thud_ she fell onto her back, gasping as the breath was knocked out of her lungs.

David turned on his heel to face the other who looked a lot like a turtle that got flipped onto its back- her eyes boring into the sky above her as she fought back the urge to let every string of curse words floating around in her brain come out of her mouth. With a beaming smile and brilliant lack of awareness to her anger, he hoisted her to her feet by swooping her up from underneath the arms, seemingly oblivious to the fact he had quite literally just dropped her in the dirt mere seconds ago.

“This is our cabin, you can go in and set up your side of the room and relax. I have a few more preparations to make before the campers arrive tomorrow – but be sure to wake up bright and early so you can help with moving in day!” he called in a sing-song voice, fists planted firmly against his hips. Gwen took a moment to look at him, reevaluating the fact she had harbored a crush within seconds of meeting him and it already was jeopardized by his lack of sanity.

 “Right… I’ll see you then.” she answered tentatively, latching onto her backpack to prevent her hands from fidgeting. Although Gwen was painfully aware at how perverse and disinterested she always sounded, it apparently flew right over David’s head, because he was grinning ear-to-ear as he gave her finger-guns and skipped off to finish doing whatever he was doing. She watched him leave, heart skipping a beat at the way he stopped to wave once more before disappearing behind the mess hall.

Gwen wasn’t quite why she hesitated so much. Perhaps it was the lingering feeling in her gut that made the red-haired boy who dragged her through the dirt seem so oddly attractive, and that she wanted to have more time just to sit and study his features- or the fact she was scared shitless of the camp and finally found someone to provide mild reassurance that she wouldn't be an outcast during the entirety of her time here. Heaving out a sigh, Gwen turned her back away from where the other had gone and began to enter their cabin to prepare for a long summer of absolute fucking chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and a kudos if you enjoyed - critiques are MORE than welcome since I'm a very new author!


	2. Observation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen investigates David's odd behavior and discovers things she never should have known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUFFERING: A Novel by yours truly.  
> This took quite a bit to perfect and get down the way I wanted it to do, but I'm pretty happy with the turn out!  
> Please leave a comment and kudos <3

The next morning slowly but surely came after a long night of Gwen anxiously fidgeting around in her bed as she tried (and failed) to get acquainted with her new environment. She had learned fairly quickly that the camp was the exact definition of budget cuts, so separate bedrooms were not a thing. Instead, a thin line of cloth was pulled between the two beds, creating a flimsy barrier that left very little privacy.  
  
Nothing had helped to ease her nerves, so instead she opted for watching some trash TV-shows on the crappy vintage television that was set up on her side of the cabin. It must’ve been late when she finally passed out because she didn’t remember falling asleep.  
  
But, apparently she had been awake enough to drag herself into her bed (but not enough to change into sleeping clothes apparently) because she languidly opened her eyes and had a mild heart attack at her surroundings.  
  
It took her brain a good couple seconds to process that no, she had not been drugged and kidnapped and was being held hostage by a hermit who lived in the woods, but this was in fact her new home for the next three months. Once she caught sight of her rumpled uniform it all sank in.  
  
She draped an arm over her face with a guttural sound that resembled a dying horse.  
  
Sunshine was spilling through the half-drawn curtains of the cabin, painting her side of the room in a soft hazy glow. The sunlight was pouring directly into her eyes and caused her to form a pretty nasty headache.  
  
Gwen was very tempted to just lay in bed and let a camper find her rotting corpse, because death seemed like a much better option than having to get up and actually do something. Sadly, this option was terminated at the sound of the cabin door being kicked in harder than necessary.  
  
Startled, she sat up in bed and threw her pillow across the room as a reflex, and it landed smack in the middle of David’s smiling face.  
  
“Oh, David! It’s just you - god you scared the shit out of me...” She hobbled to her feet and made her way over to the slightly dazed counselor, scooping up the pillow and clutching it to her chest.  
  
“Well, that’s _one_ way to greet your co-counselor! Loving the energy,” he recovered with a toothy grin, rolling from the balls of his feet to his tiptoes like a child.  
  
Gwen watched him for a moment, studying his movements before she grew slightly uncomfortable.  
  
The adrenaline she had was quickly replaced with awkward tension as they studied each other in silence. David blinked, clearing his throat as he yanked out a folded paper from his back pocket.  
  
“I wrote out today’s activities for the new campers! You missed their arrival by the way, but it’s okay because they were all so starved that they booked it to the mess hall to get breakfast- I didn’t even have time to greet _any_ of them!” he chirped happily, unfolding the paper and holding it out to the other.  
  
Gwen stared at the crumpled paper, her eyebrows knit together and her mouth pressed into a thin line as she thought hard about something before she looked back up at David.  
  
“You already planned out today’s activities? When did you have time to do that, I thought you were busy all of yesterday?” she slowly asked. David’s face contorted into that of confusion, tilting his head to the side as he began to retract his hand.  
  
_Oh god, was that a stupid question?_ Gwen began to panic, opening her mouth to attempt an excuse but the words died on her tongue as she saw David’s faltering smile spring back into its normal grin.  
  
David rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, his cheeks heating up with a look of… embarrassment? It was Gwen’s turn to be confused- the sudden bashfulness of the man who had been nothing but outgoing since they met was something that made her brain slam on breaks. “I, uh- I have a bit of an issue sleeping,” he explained, eyes darting to anywhere but Gwen’s. “But it was only because I’m just so gosh darn excited!”  
  
And this explanation seemed to be a perfectly valid reason given who she was talking to. Gwen faked a nod as if she understood (cause she honestly did not), tossing the pillow back onto her tousled bed.  
  
“Well, let’s see it then.” Gwen extended her hand toward the other, who seemed to still be a bit flustered.  
  
He glanced at her hand, hesitating a moment before snapping out of it with an exclamation of “Oh, right!” as he handed her the plans. Her eyes skimmed down the paper, and as she read each activity she could feel her stomach sink lower and lower into her body.  
  
_Archery, Hiking, Searching-and-Rescue, Biking, Horseback…_  
  
Gwen held the list out from her face as she attempted to focus her eyes once more to see if they were truly reading what he wrote correctly. But no, even though his chicken-scratch was awful, it was still very much legible.  
  
“We’re doing this all _today_?” she finally managed to ask after tearing her eyes off the paper. David had been studying the cover of a book she brought, and when she spoke it startled him and his grip was lost, fumbling with it before it dropped to the floor. He let out a high-pitched sound of alarm, swiftly bending down to pick it up and place it back on the counter with a gentle pat.  
  
When he turned around his eyebrows were raised and his smile looked strained- like a kid who was caught stealing from the cookie jar. Gwen just stared at him, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief at how David could be so… _David._  
  
She sighed, folding up the paper neatly and pocketing it. “Did you even hear a word I just said, David?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. David’s eyes darted around as he realized he completely tuned out everything she said, and he offered an awkward chuckle and an unsure shrug of his shoulders.  
  
_Of course._  
  
Gwen massaged the bridge of her nose with two fingers, heaving out an agitated sigh that borderline sounded like a growl. At this, she heard a dog-like whine in response, which caused her to snap her head up at him.  
  
There was a long pause, with just the two counselors staring at each other in silence. David shrunk back into his bandanna, face reddening by the second as Gwen carefully stared at him.  
  
“Did that come out of you?” she finally asked, expression unchanging. David shifted awkwardly at the question, gnawing on his lip as his eyes once again tried to focus on anything but the girl in front of him.  
  
“No?” David offered with uneasiness. She narrowed her eyes, studying his face very carefully, taking note of how he refused to make any sort of eye-contact.

  
_This asshole is most definitely hiding something._  
  
Gwen internally concluded, straightening up her posture and easing up on the intimidating glare. “Must’ve been an animal in the woods or something,” she spoke, running a hand through the tangled mess of her hair. David perked up and nodded vigorously, feeling the tension finally being lifted by Gwen’s response.

“Yep, we sure do have lots of animals around here! Speaking of, have you met Larry the hamster yet? He’s our mascot, you’d love him!” Gwen was tempted to smirk at how easily he took the bait she laid out for him, knowing very well that playing dumb would allow her to figure the excitable ginger out.

So, that’s what she did.

“Gee David, you ever learn to take your time with anything?” She joked with a grin, walking past him to open the door. “Let’s start with breakfast, and then we can sort out that chaotic list of yours and figure out which camp activities are actually physically possible.”

David’s face relaxed shortly before he feigned a look of mild offense at her sly remark about his list. “Hey, all of these are perfectly doable! The campers ought to have a first day filled with all sorts of fun activities!” He retorted, jogging to catch up with Gwen who was now steadily making her way over to the mess hall.

“They may be doable, but you should spread of these activities out over the next few weeks,” she explained, reaching into her back pocket to take the paper out once more, gesturing toward the messy scribbles. “You don’t want the campers to get burnt out on everything at once, or-” She paused for dramatic effect with a taunting look spread onto her face, “Heaven forbid you run out of things to do!” Gwen clutched her chest dramatically and made a mock expression of horror.

David nearly rolled his eyes at this display, but he was too high on his good mood to really show any sort of sarcasm. “You make a fair point, but I don’t think I’ll ever run out of things to do at Camp Campbell - it’s just so wonderful!” He spun around in place, sighing with content.

Gwen had no problem whatsoever with rolling her eyes at David, cause not only was he the stupidest man she’s ever met, but he also was sadly the cutest.

They reached the mess hall finally after being engaged in a lengthy discussion about pop songs - which mainly involved Gwen being struck with horror at the fact David had never heard of Taylor Swift, because in his words, “ _The farmer’s almanac is all I need to get groovin’ into a good mood!_ ” Huffing in disbelief at the other, Gwen angrily hooked her hand around the door and swung it open, blissfully unaware at the terrors that were soon to be brought upon her as she entered.

The first sign that today was going to suck was the mashed potatoes that were flung above her head as soon as she got inside. She had yelped and ducked below them just as they soared over her hair, sticking onto the window with a disgusting suction noise. Her head snapped in the direction they were fired from, only to be greeted with a sly smirk.

There was a fluffy black-haired child staring at Gwen, very aware of her anger as he waded up another spit-and-mashed-potato concoction to send flying across the room, holding dead eye contact with her while doing so. She felt her jaw snap as she grinded her teeth together, clenching and unclenching her hands as she fought with the decision to either smack this kid upside the head, or storm outside before she did so.

However, before she could do anything she’d regret, a tall figure stepped between the two. She tilted her head up to see who else but David, standing with his fists on his hips and grinning like an idiot. She squinted up at him in suspicion, taking notice about how he was swinging side to side ever so slightly. He began to lecture the camper enthusiastically about the dangers of food fights and some other bullshit that Gwen couldn’t be bothered to listen to - but his motions never stopped.

Gwen’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at this, searching around him for anything that could be making him move in such a manner. It was… almost like he was....wagging a _tail?_

She almost snorted in laughter at just the thought of it - of course David would be an excitable puppy, but it’s not like he was an _actual_ dog.

Her brain skidded to a halt, and her eyes widened a bit, slowly redirecting her now unwavering attention back to her co-counselor.

The dog whine. His unnatural strength. Now, the wagging of a phantom tail.

 _Of fucking course._ Gwen had seen enough fantasy and horror movies to put together the pieces. She slowly shifted in her seat, lacing her fingers together and putting her elbows on the table, resting her chin on them in an almost cynical manner.

When she was perched like this it made it easy to observe the rest of the conversation with comfortable ease, taking note that whenever the camper snapped a snarky remark at the other that his wagging slowed ever so slightly, only to pick right back up again with the same amount of vigor. Any outsider watching this could’ve easily assumed David was bouncing to some music playing on an unseen device (or in his head), but Gwen could tell by the erratic pattern at which he was doing it that it was an involuntary reaction he couldn't be more unconscious of.

When the peppy ginger finally finished his lecture, he clapped his hands together and happily paraded into the front of the room, leaving the curly-haired camper looking more irritated than before.

Gwen had the intense urge to point and laugh at the other’s displeasure, but she also recognized that she was a counselor and had to be setting an example (and that it probably wasn’t very social acceptable for an adult to bully a child anyway).

When Gwen focused her attention back on David, he was happily welcoming the returning campers back to camp and introducing himself to the newcomers. She had filtered out his over-eccentric voice to a bearable background noise so she could tolerate being in the same room with him for extended amounts of time - plus, judging by the campers’ faces, whatever he was bouncing around about wasn’t very interesting to anyone else but him.

However, a collective groan from the entire mess hall startled Gwen enough to tune back into the lecture. She was a bit confused as to what could strike such a disgruntled reaction from everyone, but then she saw the paper David was holding high and proud above his head and she had to stifle a grunt herself.

However, her confusion distracted her as she reached into her back pocket to produce the activity list David had given her, and she held it out at him with a face that said _“what the fuck”._

He made eye contact with her and saw the list himself, letting out a bashful shrug of the shoulders. David mouthed the words “multiple copies” while the campers were distracted with making distasteful sounds, as if that a perfectly logical reason for having more than one copy of this god forsaken camp’s activity list.

She could even tell from here that the words on the paper were in his own messy handwriting - he hadn’t bothered to use a copy-machine or printer (that’s dedication).

Gwen sighed and let the crumpled paper fall on top of her lunch table, not even bothering to keep it in her pocket since she was sure David had infinite copies.

Her brain began to drown out the voices once again to a subtle background noise, and she watched as her frantic co-counselor began gesturing to each activity on the list in a vain attempt to recapture the campers’ interest.

Gwen’s eyes kept flickering back and forth between David and the campers, watching his face and body language to try and find more evidence for her theory. Every little action he made she made a mental note of, storing it away in her memory so she could reevaluate them later to determine how quirky it was on a scale of 1 to 10.

As he finished speaking he began to march out of the mess hall like a parade leader, the campers sluggishly lifting themselves out of their seats to follow along. Gwen took this as a signal to get up and make herself useful, but her eyes remained trained on David like a hawk for the rest of the morning.

The rest of the week played out similarly to that first morning - Gwen watched David and jotted down his behaviors, only helping out when she was needed (which wasn’t very often since he was determined to do things on his own), and keeping a close watch on him from the moment she saw him to the moment they bid each other goodnight and went off to their separate sections of the shared cabin.

However, today was different. With her accumulated information Gwen started to notice a common trend in David’s routine, one that was painfully consistent and never seemed to be broken. Every night David would make up an excuse so he could leave the counselor's cabin for an hour before coming back and hopping into bed and pretending like he wasn’t gone. It was always around bedtime, so Gwen was too tired to question it or even think anything of it until now. She just jumped to the conclusion that he was doing one last check on the campers like the overly-protective goof he was, or taking care of other duties that didn’t require her at his side.

However, one night Gwen was having a bit of trouble sleeping so she was perched against her headrest, one pillow underneath her back to prop her up as she read under the light of her (cheap) bedside lamp.

Flipping through the pages, lazily scanning over the words that didn’t quite process in her tired brain, and every so often glancing up at the window to see if David was on his way back. But it was pitch black outside, so realistically she probably wouldn’t see him approaching anyway. The anxiety was pooling in her gut, wrenching her stomach into a knot until she became more and more antsy at his whereabouts.

After a few more minutes of watching the door in anticipation, she swung her legs off the side of her bed, tossing the book and blankets off her. Gwen hopped onto her feet, tugging on her clunky boots and zipping them up hastily as she searched through the drawers of the desks, worrying her bottom lip as she searched for a flashlight.

“Aha!” she shouted triumphantly as she found it, snatching it and kicking the drawer shut with a foot. Barreling outside the cabin, she frantically searched the campgrounds for David.

“David?” Gwen called out as she jogged around the area, not seeing a trace of the happy-go-lucky counselor anywhere. She flicked the switch on the flashlight, but the beam of light was pitifully weak and was already sputtering and dying out. “Oh, come on!” She cried, slamming it against her open palm in frustration.

After a few hard smacks, the light steadied enough for her to be able to see with it, but not for very much longer. “God fucking dammit, David…” she cursed under her breath, wiping her eyes angrily cause she refused to spill any tears for this fucking idiot, and resumed her search.

Twenty minutes passed and she still had not found him, even after searching the mess hall, tents, quartermaster’s store, and the cabin once more (just in case he arrived as she departed).

Gwen’s pace had picked up as she became more frantic, running along the edge of Lake Lilac and searching along the shore to see if maybe he had gone on an unannounced swim. But, once again, nothing was there.

Her breathing grew unsteady and her eyes became watery with tears that threatened to spill at any moment. Gwen clutched the flashlight so hard her knuckles began to turn white, and she took ragged breaths in an attempt to calm down. _I gotta fucking find him, it’s my job._ Her conscious echoed in her head, pushing her to keep on going.

So, she furiously wiped her eyes once more, steadying herself before beginning at a slow pace as she entered the deep thicket leading into the woods.

Out here, the darkness was claustrophobic. The inky blackness seemed to have weight to it, pulling at Gwen’s legs as if warning her to turn around and go back. The flashlight’s beam of light was weak - it only shone brightly enough to make out dense patches of dead grass and broken tree limbs within a foot range of her body, so her steps were carefully placed.

With a rough swallow, she opened her mouth to speak, but only a pitiful croak escaped her lips. She was just now realizing how worn out her voice was from screaming for David earlier, and now the added fear that made her mouth dry was rendering her practically mute.

With a stubborn (and a bit forceful) clearing of her throat, she opened her mouth once more to call out for her co-counselor when a snapping noise cut her off.

Her blood ran cold, and she folded her arms against herself, holding her flashlight tight to her chest like a teddy bear. Gwen’s teeth began chattering as a sudden gust of icy breeze drifted by, tousling her hair and shaking the trees so that bits of moonlight shone through for just a few seconds before the leaves fell back into place and left her in darkness once more.

“Da-David?” she called out weakly, taking a hesitant step forward before a loud _CRASH_ echoed from just to the right off her - it was so sudden and loud it made her yelp and stagger backwards, tripping over a tree root and falling smack on her ass. Trembling, she felt around for her flashlight, having thrown it to the side on her way down.

Panic surged through her as she caught a glimpse of a shadow moving in her peripheral vision. Her head snapped in the direction it came from just in time to see her discarded flashlight sputter and die out.

_Fuck._

A fresh new blanket of darkness was thrown upon her, leaving only pitch black surrounding her at all sides and the occasional twig snap as whatever creature was hunting her came closer.

_I’m going to fucking die here._

Gwen gripped her sides, entire body trembling as she attempted to curl into a ball and shrink somehow - disappear off the earth so nothing could find her. That’s when she felt a sudden sensation on her neck that made every hair stand up on her body, waves of goosebumps now prickling her skin.

It was breathing.

She let out a whimper, moving her arms to cover her head as she tried to sink into the ground. That’s when there was a predaceous growl that rumbled out of the creature's throat, emitting at such a low volume that it rattled Gwen’s rib-cage, taking away her breath and silencing her completely.

_And after that, everything faded to **nothing.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to make these lovely characters SUFFER.  
> Social media:  
> Tumblr- kittensneezi.tumblr.com  
> Youtube- youtube.com/c/kittensneeze  
> Twitter- twitter.com/kittensneezeVA  
> Instagram- instagram.com/kittensneeze/


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